Let Them Eat Cake!

Cake. Contained in that one, four-letter word is a myriad of meanings, memories, and magic that nearly everyone can identify with. Cake is a band, hygiene is helped along by cakes of soap, tests are (hopefully) a piece of cake. However, the greatest and most recognizable form of cake is that of the most versatile dessert in the world. Birthday cake, Bundt cake, get-well-soon cake, wedding cake, cupcakes, and on and on and on.

That’s one of the beauties of cake: versatility. Chocolate, yellow, red velvet, white, Devil’s food, carrot. It can be decorated for Halloween, baby showers, Christmas, spring, Mother’s Day, or reunions. You can choose buttercream frosting, royal frosting, fondant, or ganache. Accents could be sprinkles, edible flowers, plastic figures, candles, and photos printed on edible icing-paper with food coloring. Seriously, I could go on making lists and series until next November. Cake, when decorated well, can celebrate anything.

And when it’s decorated badly, it can be highly entertaining.

Enter Jen Yates, mastermind behind food blog phenomenon Cake Wrecks. It all started with one photo, a bakery-ordered cake with badly mangled wording (Best Wishes Suzanne/Under Neat That/We Will Miss You) that happened to be circulating the viral email track. Yates decided to put it on a blog with a witty caption and since then, the project has exploded.

"...And underneath that, write 'We will miss you'. Got it?"
Oh yeah, they got it.

Most of the cakes featured on Cake Wrecks are reader-submitted, meaning that all Yates has to do is sit around, check her email, and then formulate some of the funniest and wittiest commentary on badly-decorated cakes the internet has ever seen. Of course the big draw is the funny photos, but it’s the captions that really make the blog one you will want to visit again and again.

Outside of the overarching rhetorical use of visuals, Jen Yates makes the photographs of badly-decorated cakes even more hilarious through her use of allusion, sarcasm, and dialogue.

Allusion: 

Allusion is a great rhetorical tool for immediately laying a common foundation and context between author and reader. Yates applies this technique often, using that context to give her posts added hilarity by uniting common pop culture with badly decorated cakes.

The allusory undertones serve to tie together a collection of Cake Wreck photos that otherwise have no uniting factor. Yates tends to group her cakes together through either similar mistakes or similar occasions, but using an illusion gives her a tool to put together a post with completely random cakes while still giving her audience a united and smooth read. Then, every cake and caption builds off the last instead of existing as random snippets. It adds to the context, making it a journey of hilarity instead of snapshots of funny.

In the post “Far Side of the Wreck” uses a Far Side author Gary Larson-esque voice to create esoteric and dryly clever captions. Jen starts the post with a quick background, bringing up images of her as a child curled up with a Far Side anthology, growing up on the bizarre comics that she claims heavily influenced her sense of humor. The story immediately makes her more human; this glimpse into her childhood gives her a personable and very human tone. She gains immediate credibility, which only adds more zing to her following captions.

Alone and outnumbered, C3pO did his best to blend in.

Further credibility is added when Yates imitates Gary Larson’s style perfectly, which also gives the allusion more weight. Applying that tone to photos of ridiculously decorated cakes puts each wreck in a different context than simply looking at the photo alone. A picture of several Star Wars cupcakes is seemingly innocuous until the caption “Alone and outnumbered, C3pO did his best to blend in” makes it blaringly obvious that all the other cupcakes have plastic Chewbacca heads pressed into the frosting, while there is only one C3p0 cupcake. Suddenly, the solidarity of the robot head becomes funny because of Yates’ caption and because of the allusion.

Sarcasm: 

Jen Yates is a master of sarcasm. Every post has a little bit in it. In her praises of some of the worst cakes their weaknesses are made more obvious than a techni-colored rainbow cake. Her post “Come on Barbie, Let’s Go Party” starts the same as many, telling a quick story can gives context to the whole post. She begins to talk about those crocheted toilet-paper cover dolls that creepily protected your rolls of toilet-paper from any wandering eye that might be offended at its white, cylindrical shape.

Yates then connects the TP doll to the doll cake, which is just as strange, but more edible. Here the sarcasm become evident. She goes on to praise the great and diverse nature of Barbie doll cakes, giving each a name that is both flatters and points out it’s decorative “wreck-itude.”

The "I'm-A-Little-Teapot"

The "Girls-Shouldn't-Have-ALL-The-Fun"

The sarcasm may seem harsh at times, but Yates does it all in good fun. Besides, who's idea was it anyway to make a Barbie cake out of a Aladdin-like Ken doll?

Dialogue: 


It is often said that in fiction and non-fiction alike it is better to show than tell. Yate’s use of dialogue does just that. By telling a story through two people talking, the audience fills in their own details. It also serves to make a cake funnier by revealing the back story.

Take this wreck:

You may be confused as to why someone would want a cake with a USB drive on it, and a detailed one at that. In fact, besides the bizarre decoration, you may find nothing wrong with the cake. Sure, it’s strange, but well done.

Now, read the dialogue that goes along with it:

[answering phone] "Cakey Cake Bakery, Jill speaking! How can I help you?"


"Hi, I need to order a cake for my boss. We have a photo of him playing golf that we'd like to put on it, though - can you do that?"


"Of course! Just bring the photo in on a USB drive and we'll print it out here."


"Great, I'll bring it by this afternoon."


Later...


"Hey, Jill, what am I putting on this cake?"


"Oh, check the counter; I left the jump drive out for you there."


[calling from the back room] "Really? This is what they want on the cake?"


"Yeah, the customer just brought it in."


"Okey dokey!"


Laughing yet? I am. The story behind the cake is what makes it funny. Once you realize that the decorator completely misunderstood the use of the jump drive, the well-done cake becomes a colossal fail. The dialogue helps the reader to this conclusion instead of simply coming out and saying it. The audience to finds their own context, and that sudden jolt of realization takes the USB cake from strange to funny.

It doesn’t take much to see that Cake Wrecks is funny. Really, the only thing you need to do to be convinced is to go read a couple of posts yourself. And, true, we could go on and on about how and why Yate’s captions make the wrecks funnier by giving them added context, but in the end, is that really why the blog attracts so many readers? Perhaps it is the simple reminder that not everyone is perfect. Don’t deny it: on some level, you revel at the disasters of others because it frees you to also make mistakes. That’s what Cake Wrecks is: a place that frees you to make your own mistakes because, well, at least it wasn’t as bad as that one cake.

Let Them Eat Cake!

Introduction:

                Cake. Contained in that one, four-letter word is a myriad of meanings, memories, and magic that nearly everyone can identify with. Cake is a band, hygiene is helped along by cakes of soap, tests are (hopefully) a piece of cake. However, the greatest and most recognizable form of cake is that of the most versatile dessert in the world. Birthday cake, Bundt cake, get-well-soon cake, wedding cake, cupcakes, and on and on and on.

                That’s one of the beauties of cake: versatility. Chocolate, yellow, red velvet, white, Devil’s food, carrot. It can be decorated for Halloween, baby showers, Christmas, spring, Mother’s Day, or reunions. You can choose buttercream frosting, royal frosting, fondant, or ganache. Accents could be sprinkles, edible flowers, plastic figures, candles, and photos printed on edible icing-paper with food coloring. Seriously, I could go on making lists and series until next November. Cake, when decorated well, can celebrate anything.

                And when it’s decorated badly, it can be highly entertaining.

                Enter Jen Yates, mastermind behind food blog phenomenon Cake Wrecks. It all started with one photo, a bakery-ordered cake with badly mangled wording (Best Wishes Suzanne/Under Neat that/We will miss you) that happened to be circulating the viral email track. Yates decided to put it on a blog with a witty caption and since then, the project exploded.

                Most of the cakes featured on Cake Wrecks are reader-submitted, meaning that all Yates has to do is sit around, check her email, and then formulate some of the funniest and wittiest commentary on badly-decorated cakes the internet has ever seen. Of course the big draw is the funny photos, but it’s the captions that really make the blog one you will want to visit again and again.

Thesis:

                Outside of the overarching rhetorical use of visuals, Jen Yates makes the photographs of badly-decorated cakes even more hilarious through her use of allusion, sarcasm, and dialogue.

Examples:

                Allusion – Far Side of the Wreck http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/2010/07/far-side-of-wreck.html

                Sarcasm – Come on Barbie, Let’s go Partyhttp://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/2009/02/come-on-barbie-lets-go-party.html

                Dialogue – USB Cake http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/2009/01/problem-with-phone-orders.html

Prison or Pardon?

The Thesis: The author uses a variety of techniques of ethos, pathos, and logos to convince his audience to be in favor of the plight of two sisters currently petitioning for a pardon from incarceration.

The Hook: The New York Times article “The Mississippi Pardons” by Bob Herbert, is an editorial trying to persuade the reader that the release of Jamie and Gladys Scott by Mississippi governor Haley Barbour from serving double life sentences in prison is not only an act of compassion, but morally correct and absolutely necessary.

The Story: The sister were said to have persuaded two men to a rural area outside of Forest, Mississippi in 1993 where the men were robbed by three teenagers who Jamie and Gladys knew. A total of $11 dollars were taken and no one was harmed.

Why we care: Governor Barbour has already pardoned 5 men, all with charges of murder, from their life sentences. They had all previously been a prison program that let them help out at the Governor's mansion. If he's already pardoned these men, why not the two sisters??

What rhetorical devices are at play?

Ethos:

• The information in the article is not specific, with few direct quotes. This could lead to decreased credibility because of the ambiguous sources of information. Your average Joe might not car, but your average New York Times reader will. They might not really care about the issue if they don't think the information is reliable. However, the New York Times has also been described as a more liberal paper, so the readers could have strong opinions for the sisters to be released because of the type of information they are used to seeing in the paper.

Pathos:

• The first emotional appeal comes in the author's noting that one of the sisters, Jamie, is suffering severely from medial problems, with both her kidneys having failed. The sisters are pleading that Jamie will most likely die in prison because of her health problems. This may strike a chord with the readers, because almost everyone knows someone with a horribly painful medical condition and knows the hardship that the situation puts you in. More people will want to root for the sisters release because they want them to have time to live before she dies.

• Another well employed appeal to the emotions of the readers is the quote at the end of the article form the sisters' mother, saying, “I wish they would just hurry up and let them out. I hope that is where it is leading to. That would be the only justified thing to do.” Everyone has a mother or a mother-like figure in their lives that they respect and admire, a woman they would do anything for. By putting the mother's quote in the article, the author reaches into that sentimental pocket and pulls out a deep emotional pull that the readers feel, making them want to sympathize with the mother and help her get her children back.

• The diction that the author uses make his opinion clear, and also helps to persuade the reader that there is “only one real choice.” Phrases such as “unconscionable and grotesquely inhumane,” “unquestionably committed shockingly brutal crimes,” “dangerous abuses of executive power,” and “beyond disturbing” are examples of the type of writing the author uses to make his point. These words put the situation in a “black or white” light, displaying good and evil, with no gray in between. These make the reader feel like it is their moral responsibility to favor the sisters and support them however they can. Readers that do not immediately take the sisters' side might even be criticized as cruel and without a heart.

• I was interested to see that this author did not add a quote from Benjamin Jealous, the president of the NAACP who said, “It is a travesty that in the state of Mississippi, the lives of two Black women are valued at little more than 11 dollars.” I think the author did this for a purpose. To me, I feel this is a little outrageous. Yes, the sisters are African American, but I'm hoping that doesn't have a whole lot to do with the matter and is irrelevant to the case. Also, as president of the NAACP, I'm pretty sure he has to say something to that effect.

Logos:

• The author readily puts forth his opinion of the matter: it's ridiculous that the woman aren't out of jail yet. He thinks of the sentence as ridiculous and says that the choice for the governor should be an easy one. He shows the ridiculousness of the whole scenario by giving us the facts that mitigate the involvement of the sisters in an order that starts with the main idea, showing the big picture, getting us on the sisters' side, then filling in the details, which only add to the sisters' case.

• Another appeal to logic is the governor's track record – he's already pardoned 5 convicted murderers. Why then would he have a problem releasing two middle-aged women who were only accomplices to the robbery? It also brings up a point of controversy that further weakens the governor: all the pardoned men had been in a program that allowed them to wor in the governor's mansion. This bit of information leaves us to wonder whether the governor pardoned them for aboveboard reasons.

• The juxtaposition of the sisters' double life sentence to the sentence of the teens who actually robbed the victims (2 years) serves to further the authors point that the sentence placed upon the sisters is ridiculous and that it should be rescinded as soon as possible. In my opinion, the author is so against the sentence placed upon these sisters, that after the governor has pardoned the sisters, he should make them homemade cookies and write an apology letter as well.

• The way the information in the article is presented is a logical appeal in itself. After the first paragraph, the odds are already stacked in favor of the two sisters. We are already in the rhetorical clutches of the author, who has set up his article in the best way possible to keep our interest and our opinion in his plan; he reels in his readers by telling them the obvious solution, then uses supporting information to back it up while subtly attacking the opposing side of the situation. This grabs the reader from the start and doesn't let them go until they are thoroughly convinced of the author's opinion and hold it as well.

The Verdict: The author did a great job using rhetorical appeals to convince his audience, the readers, and an even broader audience of average people, to side with the incarcerated sisters in their petition for a pardon. Despite the authors use of ethos by giving ambiguous information could be possibly detrimental, his use of pathos and logos more than made up for it. The emotional appeals of reader association and diction were used effectively to make the audience feel connected to the sisters and their plight. The logical appeals of organization and background information serve to satisfy the intellectual reader by bringing up new points proven by fact to help further the argument. I'd say the article is effective because, hey, I'm convinced.

Cake Wrecks

I have been a fan of the blog Cake Wrecks since my friend showed it to me about a year ago. Since then, I’ve followed and laughed with each post, enjoying the photos of ridiculous cake mistakes and the very witty writing that went along with them. While the blog would probably could stand with the photos alone, it’s the commentary that really makes the place hilarious. Jen Yates, the brilliance behind the blog, writes for a large audience because of the wide appeal of grossly mis-decorated cakes. However, the blog has a predominantly-female audience, most of whom are in their 20s to 30s (I base these statistics off of a Cake Wrecks event I attended in Salt Lake). Yates’ posts don’t just show photos. She often breaks them down, offering sarcastic analysis of why the cake is so bad. Often times, the cake only becomes funny because of her writing. This is where rhetoric comes in. Some of the favorite posts are funny because Yates made them that way.

Counsel in Perilous Times

We are living in perilous times. As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, it is crucial to trust in the Lord and use the tools he has given us in order to stay on the straight and narrow path that will lead to eternal happiness. One of the most important tools we as Latter-day Saints have been given is the abundant number of general authorities who give prophetic advice on how to return to live with our Heavenly Father again. Their ability to rhetorically communicate well gives us modern day direction on how to live our lives in accordance with the doctrines and principles of the gospel.
The general authorities of the church have been blessed with the ability to communicate their thoughts in an effective and captivating manner. One definition of rhetoric is “the art of communicating well” and the general authorities are capable of doing this. When a talk is given in General Conference or through a broadcast, the message is portrayed in a way that initially grabs the listener’s attention and holds the listener’s attention throughout the rest of the address. To an individual who is not be a member of our church it may seem like these authorities are simply good public speakers; however, we know that the Lord has a direct influence on this ability. In Helaman 13: 3, Samuel was instructed to “prophesy unto the people whatsoever things should come into his heart.” The Lord wanted his message shared with the Nephites, so he directly told Samuel the things he wanted made know. Likewise, the Lord will inspire modern day prophets to speak the words relevant to our day and time. If we remember that the words spoken by general authorities are in reality from the Lord, we can receive the Lord’s direct, modern council through the mouths of others on a regular basis.
By listening to and pondering the words of general authorities, we are able to be influenced by their form of rhetoric and are resultantly compelled to live the principles of the gospel because we know that what they’re saying is directly from God.

Rhetoric Versus Inspiration

“But what about dinosaurs and evolution? You can’t argue with the scientific data that proves evolution exists. How does that fit in with the story of creation?”

Despite our best efforts, no religion will ever make perfect logical sense. In the end, we must choose whether or not to believe (through personal revelation or otherwise) that our religion is true without scientific data to support our claims. My atheist friends would argue that people join religions for emotional comfort, or because they cannot cope with the “truth” that there is nothing divine. Despite these compelling arguments against religion, individuals believe in the miraculous and supernatural. Is this the result of superior rhetoric or societal pressures? Or is there an innate truth in religion that is made manifest? As an LDS I believe that the Holy Ghost testifies of the truthfulness of the gospel. However, if we assume that the Spirit manifests of truth, what is the role of rhetoric?

In some cases we may have a testimony of something, but not fully understand WHY we do. This is faith without rhetoric. An example of this could be feeling God’s love for you without hearing any words.

However, rhetoric can aid us by effectively communicating lessons and even increase faith where understanding is lacking. For example, a member of the LDS may have a testimony that Joseph Smith was a prophet, but not the Word of Wisdom. Simple rhetoric can be used here to help persuade someone to follow the Word of Wisdom. Joseph Smith was a prophet, therefore he received the Word of Wisdom as revelation from God, therefore the Word of Wisdom should be followed.

Rhetoric appeals not only to our logical side. We may know in our hearts and minds that heaven is real and hell is a terrible place. However, a detailed description of hell can create a visceral response that a simple statement of “hell is bad” never will. For example, in the parable of Lazarus and the the rich man, the rich man begs Abraham to allow Lazarus to “dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.” (Luke 16:24) This parable targets the senses, focusing on how the flames of hell physically effect those within. We envision hell in a detailed and physical way that we we would be unable to do with other less detailed descriptions (such as “endless torment”). The visceral response, coupled with the logical mind reaches the following (oversimplified) conclusion: Be good and avoid hell!

Humans process thoughts and ideas through language. Language crafted to elicit specific responses forms rhetoric. Because of this, it can be difficult to differentiate between the power of the Spirit, which can speak, inspire, and testify of words, and the power of how the rhetoric itself is crafted. Well formed rhetoric teaches us in a form we can quickly grasp and understand, however the Spirit tells us that these things are true.

Rhetoric Coupled with the Spirit

Rhetoric is used everywhere, especially when it comes to religion. For centuries and centuries, people have used rhetoric to convince other people that theirs is the only true way. Similarly, the LDS religion uses rhetoric, intertwined with the Spirit of the Lord and through the words of the prophets, to prove that this is the only true and living gospel on the earth.

If you think about it, everyone that speaks in general conference is excellent at conveying their ideas. Whether this is because they were all bestowed with the gift of speech or they have someone talented write their thoughts in a coherent manner, each is able to present their feelings in a way that captivates millions of viewers and teaches fundamental beliefs. However, they don’t do this on their own. The Spirit, as it is known in the LDS world, teaches along with the words of the prophets. It’s hard for us to say that belief comes from the rhetoric of whoever is teaching, because that would come severely close to blasphemy. The Spirit is what guides rhetoric and convinces converts of the truthfulness of the Gospel. They go hand-in-hand.

This process can go the other way around as well. The Spirit doesn’t come without rhetoric, and true rhetoric won’t come without the help of the Spirit. For example, someone could randomly find a Book of Mormon lying on the ground and decide to read it. They could be convinced that the words are true, but they were never taught by anyone who was trying to convince them of the truthfulness of it. This is where the Spirit kicks in. Without the aid of the Holy Ghost, the book would simply be words scrawled on paper, and no one would be converted.

Overall, the use of rhetoric in the Gospel is very important when being used to teach. It must be coupled by the Spirit to be a completely effective way of teaching, but it’s still extremely relevant.

Rhetoric Is Not Enough

Rhetoric plays a prevalent part in religion, specifically in the process of conversion. Nephi tells us that his intent in keeping the record that would become part of the Book of Mormon was to persuade men to come unto and God and be saved. However, in religion there is another aspect that rhetoric can’t compete with, the Holy Spirit. Without the spirit’s confirmation, no amount of rhetoric can convince an individual of the validity of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Laman and Lemuel were Nephi’s older brothers. They followed their father Lehi into the wilderness. They were reprimanded by an angel and saw Nephi freed from cords they had bound him with in rebellion. They were led through the deserts of Arabia by the Liahona and were fed by game shot with Nephi’s bow. They sailed to the Promised Land in ships crafted after the manner of God by Nephi’s hand. They witnessed countless miracles and spent their days in the presence of two prophets of God. If rhetoric were sufficient to induce conversion, then Laman and Lemuel should have been faithful and righteous. Instead, they lived lives filled with wickedness and fell away from the Lord. The two brothers of Nephi were past feeling. They ignored the confirmation of the Holy Spirit until they no longer felt its promptings. Without the Spirit, conversion could not take place.

A similar instance occurred in the experience of Samuel the Lamanite. From the top of a wall, he preached the word of God. His orations were powerful enough to cause the people to throw stones and shoot arrows. His words struck a chord so deep within the people that they wanted to kill him. If his words were powerful enough to do that, then shouldn’t they have been powerful enough to convince the people that Christ would come? The answer is yes, but words alone cannot convert a soul. True conversion needs the Spirit, and the Spirit cannot dwell in unclean places. The people were wicked, sinful, unclean, and the Spirit was not with them.

For every instance where the Spirit was not present and rhetoric could not suffice, there are many others where together rhetoric and the Spirit converted souls to the gospel. When Nephi and his brethren returned to Jerusalem to bring the family of Ishmael to the wilderness, they sat and taught Ishmael the gospel. The scriptures tell us that the Lord softened the heart of Ishmael, and it was then that he believed the words of Lehi’s sons.

Another prime example of rhetoric and the Spirit is in the conversion of Alma. When Alma heard the words of Abinadi, he believed because he had witnessed the things that Abinadi spoke about. He had seen the wickedness of King Noah and Abinadi’s rhetoric made sense. Rhetoric was enough to convince Alma to run away from the king, but he wasn’t truly converted till he knelt in the king’s woods and prayed for forgiveness and confirmation. The Spirit touched Alma’s heart, and Alma knew that the gospel was true.

Thus the scriptures show us that rhetoric is essential when preaching the gospel. Words must be used to teach doctrine and prepare an individual for the confirmation of the Spirit. Without the Spirit’s confirmation, an individual isn’t truly converted. Words have immense power, but they can’t come close to the power of the Holy Spirit.

The Never Ending Loop

Rhetoric convinces a person to believe in a religion, and then religion uses rhetoric to make the follower choose to act a certain way and follow the commandments and guidelines set down by that religion. Thus, religion and rhetoric are linked in one cyclical loop that is never ending.

For example, my choice to come to Brigham Young University was influenced almost solely by the rhetoric of religion. I wanted to come here because of the atmosphere of this university. The atmosphere of BYU is due to the people that come to the university, both faculty and students. The people that come to BYU are the way they are because of the rhetoric and influence of their LDS faith. I am adding to that atmosphere because of the influence of my LDS religion on my behavior and standards.

The rhetoric of religion, and especially the LDS faith, has an enormous sphere of influence. What could make me leave my family, friends, and the only place I've really ever known to go to a college 1,439 miles away in a desert to live with people I've never met before? What could make pioneers leave their homes, their possessions, and their families to travel to a strange place where they did not know how they would survive? What would make Joseph Smith die for a religion mocked by countless others? Obviously, the answer to all these questions is the influence of the rhetoric of the LDS religion. It influences our beliefs, our values, our principles, our mental attitudes, our thoughts, our actions, our self-images, our lifestyles, and even our physical bodies. We believe in our religion so much that it has completely changed our lives; once we see the positive change it has made in our lives, we want to convince others of the truth and goodness of our religion, so we use rhetoric to influence them. If they are moved by our rhetoric and the rhetoric of the gospel, they become a member and then try to convince others. We as a church are always adding to the number of people changed by the rhetoric and influence of the gospel; that continuously growing group of people is always trying to use rhetoric to convince others of the gospel's truth. The cycle never ends.

Rhetoric as a tool in missionary work

Rhetoric plays a vital role in our gospel. Rhetoric is the art of using language persuasively. Where more do we use this tool then in our religion? The most important work in our religion today is that of missionary work. The Lord has commanded the people with his gospel to bring it to all other nations and tongues. To accomplish this task, we have to use rhetoric on a daily basis. Probably the greatest effect we see today is the use of rhetoric by missionaries. By using language persuasively, they can bring the spirit into a home and have it testify to that person that what they are saying is true. This can only work through the Spirit. The Lord is the best user of rhetoric. Missionaries and church members use rhetoric to present what we feel is best for the person to hear. However, Heavenly Father is the true teacher in this instance. He knows the person better than we could ever hope to. He knows what will convince this person, and in many instances puts words in the teachers mind to say. Therefore, I suggest that rhetoric is the greatest tool we can use in our church today, in that bringing people to the gospel is our unifying goal. There are many examples in the Book of Mormon where teachers use rhetoric. Abinadi was brought before the king Noah for preaching the gospel to the people. He testifies of the coming of Jesus the Christ, and urges the wicked king to repent or be destroyed. King Noah does not heed the counsel and kills Abinadi. The use of rhetoric, however, was not wasted on Alma, Noah’s priest. Alma, influenced by the preaching of the prophet, flees the kings court and eventually becomes the prophet himself. He is instrumental in hundreds of baptisms and conversions by using the teachings of Abinadi. In this example, we can see how important rhetoric is. However, rhetoric loses its power when not taught with the influence of the Spirit. The power of rhetoric comes from the ability of the user to listen to the promptings of the Spirit, to say or write what the listener or reader needs to hear. Also, the spirit will prompt the listener or reader of rhetoric to receive it in a way that is best for him. Rhetoric is very instrumental in the hands of missionaries and prophets. Therefore, I suggest that it is one of the most important things to learn how to use in this day and age of our church.

Who does the persuading in church?

When one thinks of the role of rhetoric and persuasion in the gospel, the Spirit comes to mind. How persuasive is the Spirit compared to members? What is the most effective strategy to convince others of truth? Christ convinced Peter to walk on water, and he successfully taught priests in the temple when he was only twelve. Was it his method, or was it the aid of the Spirit?
If we examine the way the Spirit operates, perhaps we can transfer those tendencies to our own rhetorical approaches. What works and what does not? There are many stories told about investigators who were not convinced through words heard by members, but by feelings they have experienced through the Spirit in certain situations. Alma the Younger was convinced of the falseness of the teachings of the gospel, but when the Spirit intervened, he was completely changed. He became a missionary. Nephites in the Americas were convinced of Christ's coming on a completely different continent. The ability to bring others to have such faith is a strong one.
The Spirit is the most effective persuasive tool for most LDS members. It usually works most effectively on people who are ready to hear it. People are humbled by its effects because it works in a quiet way; it's not obnoxious or pushy. The Spirit does not argue, it simply compels others. As missionaries, members should learn how to share the gospel with others without trying to force feed it to others. When trying to persuade others to come to church or read the Book of Mormon, members should let inactives or non-members exercise their agency, because very few people want someone else to make their decisions.
The Spirit also operates often in such a way that others do not even know it is there. It is there subconsciously, and sometimes is not noticed right away. If members can learn to be good examples instead of simply preaching doctrine, it could be very beneficial. People learn best through what they experience, and when they experience the good example of a member, they usually experience the presence of the Spirit, which then teaches them in an unobtrusive manner.
There are many ways to implement rhetoric in the gospel, especially when we are contacting others with the gospel. The Spirit is the best example of teaching, and we should try to emulate its power and reverence.